Month: June 2014

I first tried floating out of curiosity. I am often looking for natural ways to get into the parasympathetic state of being and bring stress levels down, in the way that acupuncture does.

The water a little warmer than your skin and is filled with around 800 lbs of epsom salts to relax the muscles and detoxify the body. Being in the tank is like being in a tropical womb, and you have total control of when or whether you close to door to the tank, and when you close your eyes inside, you could almost imagine being under a star-filled sky, it surprisingly feels more spacious than it is! You basically float in the water and try to calm the mind and maybe nap, Even if you don’t fall asleep, you can stretch, rest, chill out, and you come out feeling incredible, kinda loopy and deeply relaxed. The more you float, the more comfy you can get.

The first time, it was hard to get my neck comfortable, I felt like it was hard to relax it and let the salt water support me, I also felt a little claustrophobic for a few minutes and opened the door to get some fresh air, then I realized I could breathe right through the feeling and move my body and stretch to calm down. I found lacing my hand behind my neck and crossing my ankles to be the most comfortable position that first time, and although I didn’t fall asleep, I felt warm, cozy, and pretty out-of-it (in a good way) afterwards.

On the 3rd float, everything came together and I went into a deep relaxation right away, time flew and I went into la-la-land, waking myself occasionally when my arms twitched.. I finally figured out for me that I like the neck pillow, not around my neck, but sort of under my occiput with my long hair wrapped on the neck pillow to hold it in place, so it may take a few floats to find what position is most comfy for you.

I highly recommend Oakland Floats, near my office at the Opal Street Center. They have such a friendly and patient staff, the entire office is very cozy, clean, inviting, it sort of reminds me of being up in a floating treehouse. Check out Oakland Floats!